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Abstract

Background: A late closure of ileostomies may have various post-operative complications, more in resource-limited settings where follow-up as well as preventive methods often stay suboptimal. Though early reversal is ideal, delays happen quite often, and assessment of the risk for a poor outcome is important in surgical decision-making and counseling of the patient. Objective: To determine the outcome of delayed stoma closure in patients presenting to tertiary care hospital. Study Design: Descriptive cross-sectional study. Duration and Place of Study: Conducted from October 2024 to March 2025 in the Department of General Surgery LRH Peshawar. Methodology: A total of 128 patients aged 18–65 years, undergoing ileostomy reversal beyond 14 days of initial surgery, were enrolled through consecutive non-probability sampling. Exclusion criteria included abdominal tuberculosis, inflammatory bowel disease, bleeding disorders, or psychiatric illness. Data on demographics, comorbidities, and post-operative outcomes were collected. Complications were evaluated over a 30-day post-reversal period. Results: Skin excoriation occurred in 27.3%, retraction in 6.3%, and prolapse in 2.3% of patients. Diabetes and hypertension were significantly associated with higher rates of excoriation (p<0.001 and p=0.052, respectively), while hypertension also showed a strong association with both retraction (p<0.001) and prolapse (p=0.015). Conclusion: Delayed ileostomy closure is associated with notable rates of skin-related complications, with diabetes and hypertension emerging as key risk factors.